As usual, the 2026 Xbox Games Showcase was packed with interesting video games, Xbox Game Pass announcements, and a cool see-through Xbox console/controller that feels very early 2000s. Yet as fun as these reveals were, the biggest thing coming out of the event was confirmation that Xbox console exclusives were coming back. Corroborating a rumor from industry insider Jeff Grubb, and proving a recent Walmart listing to be outdated, this announcement directly addresses one of the Xbox community’s greatest desires. And one of the two confirmed console exclusives — Gears of War: E-day — is particularly interesting given a recent PlayStation release.
The promising, BioShock: Infinite-like Clockwork Revolution is also only going to be available on Xbox consoles. It’s set to launch in 2027.
To be clear, not all Xbox Game Studios PlayStation ports have suddenly been canceled. If a game has been announced for Sony’s console family, then it will still be coming to PlayStation — Fable, for example, will still launch on PS5 as planned. However, that does not mean that future releases in the same series will do the same, and Gears of War seemingly proves that. If anything, the upcoming Gears of War: E-Day may be a perfect example of what will happen with most Xbox franchises going forward, with Microsoft pulling the rug out from under Sony.
17 Games Confirmed for Xbox Game Pass at the 2026 Xbox Games Showcase
As is usually the case with Microsoft’s showcases, Xbox Game Pass now subscribers have a whole new suite of games to look forward to.
How Gears of War: Reloaded on PS5 Could Force Players’ Hands
Obviously, Xbox’s change in leadership has brought about the new plan to evaluate first-party games for multiplatform releases one by one. This means that it almost certainly wasn’t the plan to let PlayStation fans get a taste for Xbox franchises before telling them they’ll need an Xbox console to see the other games in the series. Still, this is exactly what is happening since Gears of War: E-Day is no longer releasing on PlayStation 5. Accidental or not, it’s smart business, with Reloaded now coming off as a Trojan Horse of sorts.
GameRant Quiz
Easy (15s)Medium (10s)Hard (5s)Permadeath (5s)
When hell froze over and Gears of War: Reloaded came to PlayStation 5 in August 2025, players were under the assumption that they’d also be able to enjoy E-Day on their Sony consoles down the road. As a result, they may have bought into the hype around the franchise, picking up the remaster of the original game and falling in love with the characters and world. But to experience the other Gears of War games, including the upcoming E-Day, they’ll now have to get an Xbox (or a gaming PC with some solid specs). Essentially, Xbox gave a new audience just a bit of Gears of War to pique their interest, and it’s now telling that same audience that they have to get a Series X, or the upcoming Project Helix, to see more. And it’s safe to assume this won’t just apply to the Gears IP, either.
Xbox Could Pull the Exact Same Trojan Horse Trick With Halo and Fable
The new entry in the Fable franchise and the remaster of the original Halo coming to PlayStation 5 is set in stone since those announcements were made prior to Microsoft’s shift away from the failed “everything is an Xbox” campaign. However, just like with Gears of War: Reloaded, these games could function as mere tasters of their wider franchises. The next Halo game has already been announced, so if PlayStation fans end up loving Campaign Evolved, they’ll have no choice but to get another console to play the new entry. And if Playground Games sticks the landing with Fable, capitalizing on Fable’s promising Games Showcase trailer, then PlayStation fans could yet again be enticed to get an Xbox when the sequels aren’t on PS5 and PS6.
Put the consoles in the correct order.
Put the consoles in the correct order.
Easy (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)
While there was a point in time where PlayStation players would have expected the Halo: Master Chief Collection and the classic Fable trilogy to end up on PS5, that’s now very unlikely. All PlayStation fans will probably end up with are remasters of the first entries in two storied Xbox franchises, and the initial entry in what is hopefully a long-running reboot. This allows Microsoft to recolor what many fans felt was a mistake as a tactical business decision to lure in fans from the competition. It seems like the shift back to console exclusives came just in time, as Gears of War will be keeping its association with the Xbox brand, and franchises like Halo and Fable might just follow suit.
